


Papa Grouch

by G_the_G



Series: Avengers University [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Beardy Professor Steve Rogers, Crack, Crossover, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Grad Student Darcy, academic au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 14:31:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10388886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/G_the_G/pseuds/G_the_G
Summary: A guest lecturer Darcy wasn't expecting comes to class, and she gets to renew an old acquaintance.





	

“Wow, I gotta say, your man really looks like Bearded Artistic Lumberjack 2.0 today. Who’s the original version with him?”

“What?” Darcy mumbled around a mouth full of food, eyes wide. She knew better than to go near the administration building. From accidentally walking into President Fury that one time to her new self-preservation tactic of trying to avoid one Dr. Rogers at whatever cost, main campus buildings should have been off limits. Especially The Tower. All the professors gravitated towards the cafe, but Darcy had been hungry and Jane had been promising free food in exchange for just one more little favor of TA work. Rookie mistake. “They're here? I am not emotionally prepared for this.”

“Whatever,” Jane said, head still craned to examine the two men who’d made their way to a table across the room. “Who is he? Papa Bear Art Professor? And Rogers is Baby Bear Art Professor?”

Darcy set down her sandwich, still struggling to get the bite she’d last taken down her throat.

“It’s Professor Logan from the Xavier Institute of Art.”

Jane tilted her head as she obviously tried assigning the name to the person. “Is Logan his first name or last name?”

“No one really knows.” she answered, reaching for her drink. “He’s a famous sculptor.”

“No one knows? So he’s mononymous like Cher. And famous, huh?”

“Yeah,” Darcy forced out, nearly snorting out her soda at the mental image of Logan as a top pop-star parading on a battleship with butt tattoos peeking from his unitard. “He was guest lecturing in our class today. You should have been there. The man is infamous for being a bit of a recluse.”

Jane tilted her head, still not even trying to be subtle. “I could see that. He looks a bit crotchety.”

She couldn’t help a giggle at that one.

“And a half. He absolutely hated most of it. Tried to avoid every question about muses and creativity and what inspires him. Gave like a two-word answer for all of those. But then he started talking about marble.”

“Marble?” Jane finally turned back around. “That does it for him?”

“Seriously, you have no idea. He was telling us about how he got some from the same quarry as Michelangelo, or was it DaVinci, or…” she trailed off before waving her hands at what she deemed unimportant. “Either way, one of the greats.”

“Your attention to detail makes me glad for your grades that you’re only auditing this course.”

She ignored Jane, already invested in recounting the day's entertainment. “But the way he talked about the marble. It was like he was describing an old love. The feel of the it, the color, the weight. You could see his hands shaping it all over again as he was up there.”

“Ease up on the lapsing prosaic, will you?” Jane grabbed one of her french fries and began pointing with it. “You sound like you’re getting a new crush and I don’t know how much of this either you or I can handle.”

Darcy sat back again, still purposely avoiding looking in the direction of their subject. “Eh it’s a brain crush only.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. Definitely. Especially since I went to high school with his daughter. Having a crush on him would just be wrong.”

“Wait, you know his daughter? Did you tell him?”

“No.” Not sure if she was actually done eating or just done with the conversation, she pushed her tray away from her. “Between everyone fawning and the obvious bromance he had going with Steve, I didn’t want to wind up making it weird. Because you know I always make it weird.”

Jane ignored the obvious bait and waggled her eyebrows, grin firmly in place. “ _Steve_ , huh?”

She did not want to continue on with that bit, not at all. “ _Dr. Rogers_ worked with him on a couple collaborations and I guess they are on some sports team together.”

“You should go say hi.”

Darcy's brows rose in surprise. Since when was Jane the one to suggest social interaction?

“Uh, no. I should _not_. Remember that whole making it weird thing?”

“I have faith in you.” Before she could feel any real warmth at that statement, her friend continued. “But if you do make it weird, I reserve all rights to giggle over it for at least a week.”

“Such support.” She sighed. She really should go say hello. His daughter, Laura, had been a pretty good friend before they drifted apart during college. She still had fond memories from befriending the small, otherworldly looking girl who was too smart for her own good and prone to viciously protecting herself from others after skipping a couple grades. Plus, it was hard to keep track of the woman when she decided to forego social media like most of their classmates. “Ugh. I’m gonna do it.”

“Really?” Jane sat up in excitement.

“Yes. Try not to look forward to too much schadenfreude.”

After one last chug of soda to quench her suddenly dry mouth, Darcy got up, forcing herself to take deep breaths as she weaved around tables and got closer. She almost chickened out. Someone stood up suddenly, blocking her path, and in those few moments she seriously considered tucking tail and running straight out of the cafe. She’d brought her bag with her, she could do it. But before she was able to make a run for it, whoever it was moved, just in time for her to make eye contact with Steve. And the stupidly attractive face split in a welcoming grin, eyes that matched his too-snug-for-her-mental-sanity sweater crinkling at the corners.

Shit.

With a somewhat weak smile, an awkward half wave, and a few more steps, she was there in front of their table.

“Why hello, Darcy. Fancy meeting you here!”

“Hi Steve,” she was able to say, though her voice was a little higher and breathier than normal. He seemed to hesitate for a second, focusing on her face before he shook himself and turned to his friend.

“Logan, this is Darcy Lewis. She’s in my History 101 class.”

The notorious lack of social manners seemed to still be in full effect, as he didn't even bother looking up at her, focusing instead on steadily working his way through his bowl of tomato soup.

“I really enjoyed your lecture today.”

“Thanks kid,” he grumbled, spoon continuing its steady movement from bowl to mouth and back. He clearly did not want to stick to that topic or anything to do with him.

“I, uh, I just wanted to say hi because I went to school with your daughter. Wanted to see how she’s doing.”

His dark eyes finally looked up solidly at her face. “Darcy Lewis… And you know Laura? You weren’t the one to start the self-defense club with her, were you?”

Most of her anxiety eased away at the memory. She wasn't totally weird for coming to say hi after all.

“Guilty.”

“Self-defense?”

She glanced at Steve, his curiosity clear as he leaned forward, hoping for more information.

“Yep. I wield a mean taser.”

Logan chuckled. “I’ve heard. I guess I should thank you for teaching Laura that nose trick. Saved me from having to further injure a couple of her boyfriends.”

Darcy chuckled, and couldn’t help but mentally fist-pump at the look of appreciation on both men’s faces.

“In answer to your question, though,” Logan cut in. “She’s off in Canada now. Doing some research on cloning technology and training for an upcoming martial arts competition.”

“So exactly the same thing as she used to do?” Darcy teased.

“Exactly.” His grin was easy, hiding all signs of his earlier taciturn attitude. “Tell you want, why don’t you give me your contact info. I’ll send it to her with my next weekly check-in. She needs to stop being such a shut-in.”

“Nothing like her old man, huh?” Steve joked.

“Watch it, bub” Logan countered, brow raised in enough threat to let him know the older man still could kick some ass if he meant business. Sculpting was good for the muscles after all. Steve only laughed in response.

Darcy smiled both at their easy attitude with each other and the adrenaline high she was now rocking. She scrounged a piece of paper from her bag and scribbled her details on it, finally glad she hadn’t been a pansy.

“If she’s really busy, no worries. But it’d be nice to catch up.”

He grabbed the paper with a nod and tucked it into his rumpled coat pocket.

At a loss for anything else to do, she figured it was safe to escape.

“Well, it was good seeing you. Catch you later, Professor!” Not bothering to clarify which one she meant, she turned and made sure to slow her steps to the door, not wanting her giddiness at not embarrassing herself make her break into a run. In her focus, she didn’t let herself look anywhere but at the exit. And in doing so, she missed the look of amusement on Jane’s face. Because the woman had watched the entire interaction like the nosy person she was, and she was now appreciating the smiles splitting two bearded faces. But while one definitely had a begrudging fondness to it, the other was markedly more attentive and paired with a set of blue eyes that followed Darcy out the door.


End file.
